Arizona silver belt., 1887-10-08
A Second Hand Booksellers Tells of His
 Patrons PecuIiarities.

Patrons Peculiarities.
 There prevails an impression that any one who really knows a valuable book when he sees it can go about the second hand book stores and pick up bargains in plenty. This is altogether mistaken notion. The trouble is that so many do know a good book when they see it and so are on the lookout for rare copies. Booksellers, too-at least a majority of them-now know the relative values of books, and he is a lucky collector who nowadays gets volume much under its actual worth. Of course different per sons set different values on certain works. But as a rule the dealer's price is net often thought to be low.
 A down town bookseller who deals in all kinds of books, old and new, said to the writer who asked him for certain edition 674 7f tR 6l4 6A4 classic classic tie t4ief @ If that book were here it would have been sold long before this. We have had half a dozen men in here already to-day, looking for rare old books. You have no idea how many come in every day on that errand. They come in and spend an hour, sometimes two, looking over cur shelves. They rarely tell us what they are after. There are some old gentle men who visit us regularly about three times a week. They know our stock as well as we do ourselves. Not one of them buys more than half dozen volumes a year, but they seem to be quite satisfied with what they get for their labor. Of course we have a great many tanscient callers on the same errand. It often makes me laugh to see them looking wise and eagerly going over the shelves, evil dently under the impression that they are in unexplored fields. Just as likely as not some one, who knows a good thing when he sees it, has been all over the books half an hour before. Some of them take every volume in their hands and turn over a few pages. A good many come in just to have look at the books. There are interruptions dealers, and when they see that man wants particular book they raise the price on him.
 But your regular book collector isn't green. Many time have seen him try Ds to get a valuable edition of some book by pretending that 1t was common, de- pending on the dealer's ignorance not to know its worth. remember once had c volume of the "Tattler " that was very old and worn, and I thought it was worth all of $5. hadn't it long when one of my old visitors came in. He knew nearly all my stock and he must have seen this ''Tattler at once, but he passed it by without SO much as touching it. Then he came back and, contrary to his custom, remarked that he didn't see anything he wanted. He was just going out of the door when he suddenly turned round and said that he had forgotten to get a book that his wife wanted. While I was wrap ping it up he picked up the volume of the G Tatttler in careless way, saying; ''Ah, here is another of these copies of the 'Tattler.' It's good deal like the one have at home, but mine is worn out. This one is only little better, but you will be sure to let me have it cheap and I might as well take 1t along"
 ''Just as you like, D I replied, carelessly. "You can have it for $5." Of course, he was thunderstruck; surely, was making a mistake, and all that sort of thing. But I wouldn't budge, and he gave me my price with very bad grace. The fact is, tlSese old collectors don't half care for a book unless they get it at a price they think away below cost. Then they go away chuckling at what they call their "superior discernment.
 "Where do you get these old books ?" was asked.
 '' From the libraries of these very men who collect them. When they die their libraries are often sold with the rest of their effects, and usually at ridiculously low figures. The men who buy old fur niture often get them for nothing slowed away in drawers. Anyhow, they sell for very little when disposed of by an auc- tioneer who knows nothing about them. You see, most of our customers are com paratively poor men, who often get a book that they prize at the sacrifice of a meal. Cor. New York Commercial Ad- vertiser.